Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Brennan at 14 Months

Our little man is 14 months old so, I figure it's time for an update.

He has been sitting independently for a while now and LOVES it. In fact, he loves it so much that he has absolutely no interest in putting weight on his hands or legs (which is going to make learning to crawl and stand pretty tricky!). Each week his physical therapist comes up with new things for us to try in order to increase his leg and arm strength despite his ability to quickly squirm out of almost any position other than sitting. The last couple of weeks, he has actually enjoyed being in his jumper-thingy and is getting better and better at using his legs to bounce himself.

His physical therapist also suggested we have him sit on a step stool which will force him to put pressure on his legs. I think sitting like this makes him look so much older.
He's a great little eater. He eats lots of fruits and veggies (either baby food, hand mashed or in small pieces) as well as chicken, veggie burgers, turkey meatballs, grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, beans, cheerios....a good variety. I feed him mostly by spoon, but also let him feed himself. He's good at using his little fingers to pick up food and feed himself, but I can only put a couple of pieces of food on his tray at a time, wait a minute for him to actually chew and swallow, then put a couple more pieces on his tray. If I do it any other way, he ends up with a mouthful and I start get nervous about him choking. It honestly feels like he spend the majority his waking hours eating. As for liquids, he still relying solely on me. Yep, fourteen months old and still not interested in a cup or straw. I'm trying to be patient and keep the faith that eventually he WILL learn to drink from a cup! His speech therapist/feeding specialist is working on this with him and has suggested a couple of new cups to try (the honey bear and sip-tip cups for those of you "in the know"). So, wish us luck!

In the sleeping department, he's still doing great. He takes a 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap in the morning, a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and sleeps for about 11 hours at night. He goes to sleep easily and always wakes up happy. He often wakes up so quietly that the only way I know he's awake is if I hear him knocking his pacifier against his crib through the monitor. Sometimes I go to wake him and he's already wide awake, happily looking around his room.

In general, he's a really content baby. He rarely cries and if he does, he stops as soon as I hold him. He isn't thrilled by people he doesn't know well and will watch them intently with a very serious look on his face while being held, and then starts protesting and reaching for me. He definitely loves his family and especially his mom! He is such a sweet baby who makes me smile and fills my heart. I feel so fortunate to be his mom.

11 comments:

Monica Crumley said...

THese are adorable photos! Love that smile! I'll make a list of parents that would like to meet. I'll try to get something together so we can meet and find another way so we can identify each other as blogging moms. It'll be nice to meet you.

Monica Crumley said...

PS: Motor-wise, our OT suggested the stool sitting, too. Drinking-wise, John Michael had a terrible time transitioning to a cup/straw after nursing. I was always nervous he wasn't getting enough liquid. He now drinks like a champ out of straws, sippy's, water bottles, etc. Just keep working on it... he'll get it. We used smoothies as an incentive for the straw. It worked!

Laurie said...

Great pictures!! It's so wonderful to hear how well Brennan is doing : )

PS - Im with you on the drinking issues...sigh.

The Sanchez Family said...

We're in the same boat with the drinking. I just need to be more vigilant.

Brennan is the smiliest baby ever! I love it!!!

I too would love to meet you and your family this summer at the conference!

Patty said...

Hi Sharon,

I am in Danbury CT. My son-Luke-is 15 months and have so many similarities as Brennan. I do not blog but thinking I may start. I read and learn so much from others. I am on Facebook- feel free to "friend" me if you are on FB. I have lots of pictures and videos on my profile. I am unable to go to the conference but wish I could.
My email: Patty@aw-design.com

Thank you for sharing Brennan's wonderful accomplishments.

Patty Bremer Alessandro

Patty said...

Hi Sharon,

I am in Danbury CT. My son-Luke-is 15 months and have so many similarities as Brennan. I do not blog but thinking I may start. I read and learn so much from others. I am on Facebook- feel free to "friend" me if you are on FB. I have lots of pictures and videos on my profile. I am unable to go to the conference but wish I could.
My email: Patty@aw-design.com

Thank you for sharing Brennan's wonderful accomplishments.

Patty Bremer Alessandro

Unknown said...

Oh he is just so so cute! :-)

Shauna Yule Brasseur said...

That photo of the two of you could not be any cuter!

mauimom said...

He is the cutest little guy ever! It is great to see how well he is doing. Best wishes!

Angie Willey said...

Thanks for the update! Brennan and my little Ben are so close on so many things. It is great to hear that he is doing so good.

Lisa said...

That smile could melt the coldest heart. What a cutie pie!